Vehicles Entering Delhi to Pay Environment Protection Charges in addition to Municipal Toll Taxes




Oct 09, 2015 | P. Shenoy

As per recent orders of National Green Tribunal (NGT), commercial vehicles entering Delhi will have to bear the burden of environment tax in addition to the existing municipal toll tax. Justice Swatanter Kaur along with three other member judges of NGT held that vehicles that pass through Delhi should be kept out of city.

Additional Charges

The charges will be levied based on type of commercial vehicle viz., taxis and small trucks with two axles – Rs 700/- vehicles with three axles- Rs 500/- and vehicles with four or above axles Rs 500/-. The corpus so collected will be diverted by the Pollution Control committee to enhance the environmental protection efforts in association with Central Pollution Board.

Alternate Routes

The non-destined vehicles which simply pass through Delhi will not be allowed to enter into the city. The will be diverted from Panipat, one of the entry points amongst 124 such entry points, will be diverted to alternate routes like NH-71 and NH 71A to exit in Bawal region of Haryana State.

Efforts to Reduce Pollution in Delhi

As per statistics submitted by DCP (Traffic) appearing before NGT mentioned that over 66,000 vehicles enter Delhi city every day. The Bench also took note of controlling pollution in Delhi and NCR region as well, while also directing the transport officials to co-ordinate with their counterparts in Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to restrict the diesel vehicles from entering Delhi. Pinky Anand Solicitor General of NHAI mentioned that the work on Eastern Peripheral Expressway is under construction for which the Tribunal directed the Haryana Government to make efforts to operationalise Western Expressway at the earliest.

Further application to be made to decongest roads of Delh

The Tribunal also directed the Joint Commissioner of Police and equivalent cadre of Rajasthan, Haryana and UP to look for alternate routes to reach NCR areas. Responding on the cause of pollution on Aurobindo Marg, AIIMS, Mehrauli and Vikas Marg areas, the Bench directed the traffic police to file application detailing a suggestion to address the decongestion of road to reduce pollution in such areas, for detailed consideration of the Tribunal.

OUR PLANING

Do you think Delhi is the most developing Capital in the world?